


Westminster Abbey and The Ritz

by plumandfinch



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 11:52:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4624335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumandfinch/pseuds/plumandfinch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Since we’re having a real wedding now,” piped up Timothy from his place, comfortably propped on the couch, “don’t you need bridesmaids, Auntie Shelagh?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> The title is based on a lovely little scene in the 2014 Christmas Special that was cut from the US run.

“Since we’re having a real wedding now,” piped up Timothy from his place, comfortably propped on the couch, “don’t you need bridesmaids, Auntie Shelagh?”

Shelagh and Patrick had looked up at Timothy’s first words, he from the latest copy of the Lancet and she from the abandoned puzzle that Timothy had started that morning. Shelagh’s cheeks pinked, “I’m not sure, wherever did you get that idea, Timothy?”

“We-ll”, he reasoned, “Akela had bridesmaids at hers and the girls at school said you had to have them. They wanted to know who you were having.”

Patrick chuckled, “Since when do you talk to the girls at school?”

It was Timothy’s turn to blush before replying lightly, “They’ve been quite nice, actually, thank _you_ , Dad.”

Their real wedding, as Timothy was fond of calling it, had all come about rather suddenly. One late afternoon, Patrick had come breezing through the ward doors making them swing and earning him a scowl from the Matron. “Dr. Turner, please do be more cautious,” she chastened. He winked devilishly at Timothy and Shelagh and called out, “My apologies, Matron” as he leaned over to ruffle Timothy’s hair and lay a soft kiss on Shelagh’s cheek. Plunking himself on the end of Timothy’s bed, he looked at them with a gleam in his eye.

“You know, Tim, the doctor says that we get to take you home in the next couple of days since you’re doing so well with your calipers. I just had a brilliant idea this very afternoon,” he paused, looking at them both, pleased as punch, “let’s have a wedding!”

“Dad…a wedding? Of course we’re going to have a wedding; you and Auntie Shelagh promised that you’d still get married. What’s so brilliant about this idea?”

Patrick leaned forward to take Shelagh’s hand in his and looked back at Timothy. “I was just thinking, on my walk over here, that I’m so grateful that you are doing better and so pleased that Auntie Shelagh hasn’t gotten tired of me yet, that I think that we should have a proper do.”

He turned and caught Shelagh’s eyes which sparkled behind her glasses. She raised her eyebrows at him and smiled. “Is this ‘Westminster Abbey and the Ritz’?”

Patrick grinned, “Yes, this is ‘Westminster Abbey and the Ritz’.” The grin widened. “Well, I was thinking more the church and the church hall. I was hoping to entreat Mrs. B. to whip up a cake and I still remember a punch recipe that was always a hit at the hospital Christmas parties. We could invite the sisters, the nurses, Fred, I’m sure my cousin David would come over from Halifax. You have your dress and I bet our suits are still just fine. And, my bride-to-be,” he finished expansively, “I am taking you on a honeymoon.”

“Oh Patrick,” Shelagh blushed furiously now, “Are you sure?”

“I am. One hundred percent, without a doubt. I am convinced that this is one of my best ideas yet.”

“But what’ll happen to me, Dad?”

“We’re not throwing you into the orphans’ home, Tim. Why don’t we see if Jack’s mum and dad wouldn’t mind you staying over there? It would just be for a couple of nights. Well, what do you think, you two? A wedding, a party, and a honeymoon. Does that fit the bill?”

He felt her squeeze his hand gently, “That would be just lovely, Patrick.”

“Count me in too, Dad.”

And thus their planning began. Timothy returned home, pale and easily tired but thrilled to start school again. Patrick went back to his regular rounds with the addition of being responsible for answering his patient’s many questions about their upcoming nuptials. Shelagh quietly went back to town one late morning and came home to her lodgings with a significantly larger pink box and several other parcels. Things hummed right along until Timothy asked about bridesmaids.

Patrick came back downstairs that night to find Shelagh staring at the rug and absentmindedly fiddling with her hands. He sat down next to her and took hold of her fidgety hands. “You don’t have to have bridesmaids, you know. It is totally up to you. This is our wedding and you may do as you wish, no matter what the ‘girls at school’ say.”

They sat in the quiet and she looked down and watched her engagement ring catch in the lamplight. “I know,” she sighed. The clock in the corner ticked away comfortingly and they sat in silence again until she suddenly looked up at him, “but I want some. It seems so silly but I do.”

Patrick released the breath he had been holding and they both laughed in relief at her admission. He had been worried, Shelagh had been quiet after Timothy had asked the question this evening but now he laughed again and kissed her on the cheek. And on the nose. And slowly, tantalizingly, on the corner of her mouth. And even more slowly on her lips. After a breathless, crackling moment, she pulled away to meet his eyes.

“Patrick Turner,” she said sternly, “you best behave yourself; you’re going to be a married man soon.”

“Thank goodness!”


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several thuds and a muffled “ouch!” came from the closet. “Trixie?” Jenny called around the corner, “are you all right in there?” There was another particularly loud thump and the perky blonde’s left side appeared as she struggled to wriggle her way out from between the over packed supplies. “I swear,” she hissed, finally freeing herself and forcefully flicking dirt and dust off of her usually crisp uniform, “we can’t move into a real place soon enough!”

Several thuds and a muffled “ouch!” came from the closet. “Trixie?” Jenny called around the corner, “are you all right in there?” There was another particularly loud thump and the perky blonde’s left side appeared as she struggled to wriggle her way out from between the over packed supplies. “I swear,” she hissed, finally freeing herself and forcefully flicking dirt and dust off of her usually crisp uniform, “we can’t move into a real place soon enough!”

Cynthia padded past her with some mugs on a tray which she cautiously placed on the hall table that the nurses had commandeered. “I snuck into the kitchen before the ladies’ group got started. It’s not Horlick’s, just tea, but it will have to do.”

“Bless you,” said Jenny emphatically, “I will take absolutely any hot drink to keep me going.”

“This could use a little kick,” muttered Trixie into her mug.

Cynthia giggled and Jenny sighed as she leaned against the door frame. “You are certainly right about how heavenly it would be to move into our new place, Trixie. I thought our job was hard before but now with us and with our supplies spread out all over Poplar, it’s ten times harder.”

The nurses sipped their tea in exhausted silence not really listening to the clattering of the ladies’ group meeting down the hallway. A timid knock close to her ear made Jenny jump.

“Oh! I am sorry, Nurse Lee. I didn’t realize you were right there.”

“It’s just fine Shelagh, I was miles away. Do please come into our grand hallway here.”

“Shelagh! It’s so lovely to see you.” Cynthia patted an empty spot on the box on which she was currently perched and Shelagh gingerly settled next to her.

Trixie lit a cigarette. “I’m terribly sorry we haven’t a crumb to offer you, Shelagh. We’re very much refugees at the moment.”

“It’s no worry at all, Trixie, we just had our tea and I couldn’t eat another thing.”

“How is Timothy?” Cynthia asked.

“He’s doing quite well. Back in school as you know.”

Jenny nodded, “Yes, I saw him the other day, he looks quite well.”

“Doctor Turner and I are so relieved, he really is recovering quickly. He is getting stronger by the day.”

“Speaking of the handsome doctor,” Trixie snubbed out the cigarette and leaned against the hall table again, “we absolutely must have all the details about this wedding. Are you all set with your dress? Do you know what you’re going to do with your hair? What flowers are you going to have in your bouquet? Tell us everything!”

“Trixie!” Jenny scolded “This isn’t the Inquisition”

“No, it’s alright. That’s what I came to talk to you about, actually.”

All three of the nurses leaned infinitesimally closer to the petite brunette who cleared her throat and shyly looked up from her gloved hands.

“Well,” Shelagh began, “you already know that we’ve decided to go for a much larger wedding than we had originally planned.”

Cynthia smiled, “Yes, we were so delighted to get your lovely invitation.”

“I know this may seem silly.” Shelagh paused, “but I feel that you are some of my closest friends here besides the nuns and I certainly couldn’t ask them. Since we’re doing the whole thing now, I was just hoping…” she trailed off. 

“Hoping for what?” said Jenny.

Shelagh cleared her throat again and looked the three square in the eyes. “Would you be my bridesmaids?”

__

The members of the esteemed ladies’ group all felt that they had been very patient with the nurses and nuns who had taken over their closet and hallway and frequently used the kitchen. On this occasion, however, several members remarked how inconvenient it had been when their meeting had been ground to a halt by an explosion of shrieking and laughter. Several of the more bold women crept down the hallway to see what the fuss was about only to find the nurses excitedly all talking at once with that nice former nun right in the center of it all, quietly beaming.


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chummy had managed to orchestrate the entire sending off. She extricated Shelagh from the crowd and had even thought to put together a small plate and some tea, which Shelagh gladly dug into in the quiet of the small room off the parish hall.

Chummy had managed to orchestrate the entire sending off. She extricated Shelagh from the crowd and had even thought to put together a small plate and some tea, which Shelagh gladly dug into in the quiet of the small room off the parish hall.

“Oh Chummy! How did you know? I’m quite hungry!”

“Well, old thing, I remember it being terribly difficult to get a crumb in when one has to chat to all those people. I have no doubt that Dr. Turner is capable of carrying you but we’d much rather it be in a terribly romantic way and not because you’ve fainted for lack of nourishment. Here, let me unpin your veil. You keep eating, there’s no rush”

As Chummy set about her work in silence, Shelagh was surprised to find herself a little shaky as she finished the sandwiches and sliver of cake. She closed her eyes and took a calming sip of tea and several steadying breaths over her tea cup. Chummy, having lovingly draped the veil over a chair back, must have noticed because she came back and laid her hand on Shelagh’s shoulder.

“Nothing to be worried about, this is the first quiet moment after quite an exciting day. You’ll be right as rain in a minute, once you finish your tea. If you’re ready to get into your suit, I can tackle these top buttons. But there really is no rush, that bally bunch out there will keep Dr. Turner occupied for ages.”

“I do think I need another minute, Chummy.”

“Top hole, old bean, why don’t I see if I can sort you out another cup of tea and I’ll get Trixie as well so that she can freshen your powder and pin up your hair.”

“Chummy, thank you, that would just be perfect.”

The chatter from the hall got louder for a moment and faded again as Chummy closed the door and Shelagh was left to her own thoughts. She breathed deeply again and closed her eyes. It had been perfect from start to finish. The girls had been so lovely and helpful and she felt just like a queen walking down that aisle. Even if she had been in sackcloth and ashes, the way Patrick looked at her when he finally turned around would have made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Timmy had looked so handsome to say nothing of her husband. _Husband_.  She contentedly sighed aloud, the normally quiet sound greatly exaggerated in the silence of the room which took her by surprise and made her giggle. The door opened again and she stood up to shake the crumbs off of her dress. “Oh Chummy, I think I’m ready to change no-” she stopped short for it was not Chummy and Trixie who had come through the door but Patrick. He stood there at the edge of the room, if stunned, looking at her like he had when he had turned around that short time ago.

“Patrick,” she breathed and as if the sound of her own voice broke some sort of spell, she took a step towards him and he towards her. The slight shift in their proximity made her instantly certain that if she wasn’t immediately wrapped in his embrace, she would perish. Her dress rustled as she closed the distance between them and pressed her cheek against his chest. She felt his arms slide around her and pull her closer.

“Shelagh.”

The way he said her name then, when it was finally just the two of them, spoke to her heart even more than the vows they had earnestly exchanged. She hugged him tighter and felt him lay several light kisses along the top of her head.

“Well, Mrs. Turner. This is the first moment we’ve had to ourselves all day. I managed to send both Chummy and Trixie looking for each other in opposite directions so I hope I’ve garnered us a moment or two before they come back.”

She stepped back, still encircled in his arms, and looked up at him. “Well, in that case, Dr. Turner, you’d better kiss me quickly then. We wouldn’t want to waste any time.”

Suffice it to say, he did not waste one more moment.


	4. 100 Word Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick thought that for all of his life, no matter what else may get lost in the mists, he would never forget the sight of his wife, standing in the small room off the parish hall, after their wedding.

Patrick thought that for all of his life, no matter what else may get lost in the mists, he would never forget the sight of his wife, standing in the small room off the parish hall, after their wedding.

A giggle, which he had caught the end of, still played on her tantalizing lips and added a sparkle to the sea blue eyes behind their glasses. The warm, late afternoon sunlight caught on her honey colored curls, freshly free of the white veil and made the lace of her gown glow. She stood, happy and exuding love – inexplicably for him. 


	5. Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had taken her hand at some point during the commotion of their send off from the church hall. She remembered Peter taking their bags to put them in the car and the flurry of farewells and squeezing Timothy tightly before sending him off, with promises of best behavior, to Jack’s beleaguered parents. The rest was a blur and then it was just them.

He had taken her hand at some point during the commotion of their send off from the church hall. She remembered Peter taking their bags to put them in the car and the flurry of farewells and squeezing Timothy tightly before sending him off, with promises of best behavior, to Jack’s beleaguered parents. The rest was a blur and then it was just them.

Patrick’s one steady hand on the wheel of the MG and his other, having been quietly reclaimed after they climbed into the car, grasped in hers. The seaside hotel was not terribly far but they did stop once for petrol at a small roadside station. They had both gotten out to stretch their legs. Patrick made congenial small talk with the proprietor who had clapped his hands and hugged them both when he discovered they had just been married. They were still grinning over the man’s good nature when they climbed back into the car and she turned and found Patrick’s mouth on hers.

“Goodness, Patrick. Whatever will they think of us?” she asked sometime later, after her glasses had been set aright and his tie had been straightened.

“He’s gone back into the station but we’d better go before we cause a scene.”

He took her hand again and they spent the rest of the ride in silence. She didn’t feel the tingle of nerves until the headlights lit on the front door of the small but elegant hotel and she heard Patrick get the bags out of the boot and hand them to the young man at the door. He opened her door for her and handed her out of the car, her anchor. He must have seen something in her eyes – how did he already know her so well? – because he stopped and squeezed her hand. She took a breath, squeezed back, and they walked into the lobby.

____

Everything since they had arrived had been slow and languorous. She had said something about it on their way back upstairs from dinner but he had only chuckled and said that it was the sea and weren’t they on vacation anyway? She could have sworn he looked younger, certainly more carefree, as they stood across from each other in their room. Patrick had opened the windows to let to cool spring air in and the curtains rustling against the windows broke their silence.

“Would you like to go for a walk on the pier?” he asked.

She understood that he was giving her space and time, that they had begun to do the delicate dance of their wedding night, a dance that truly had begun much earlier in the day. When he turned and saw her? When he came into the small room during the reception? When they got into the car together? Had it begun even earlier, she wondered. In his – no, _their_ – living room? On the road in the mist? The day she cut her hand? She couldn’t pinpoint it but she felt many moments had led to this one.

“No, thank you,” she said politely, “I’d like to stay here.”

He looked surprised and she had a horrible feeling that he was going to do something patient and gentlemanly and offer her a game of cards or a book to read. She stepped towards him.

“Patrick, I’d like to stay here and I’d like you to kiss me.”

____

The first time they made love, she could hear the sound of the sea and the cries of the gulls echoing off the stone buildings by the pier. It was slow and sacred and she felt safe and worshiped. He was astonishing, this husband of hers and the way he looked at her made her feel astonishing too.

They fell asleep, that first night, in a tumble of sheets and limbs, her small hand still enfolded in his.


End file.
